Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to claim, control and enhance their cultural inheritance.
The ATSIA board supports this right through its grant categories and through the implementation of the Australia Council's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Policy (NATSIAP).
The Australia Council recognises the fundamental role of the board as its leading authority in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts, and it actively promotes the unique Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as integral to Australia's national identity.
The board supports development and promotion of traditional arts practices, as well as the generation of new forms of artistic expression among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in urban and regional areas, and in all artforms. The board regards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as living forces, each with its own strength and energy, and not simply remnants of the past. It aims to make these cultures part of the contemporary experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and a source of pride for all Australians.
The board encourages applications that are culturally appropriate and innovative, have excellent artistic outcomes, and which produce strategic results that promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts at local, state and territory, and national and international levels.
The board will give priority to supporting Indigenous personnel in key positions in projects proposed in grant applications and requires applicants to use accepted industry standards for remuneration in proposed projects. Non-Indigenous organisations applying to the board need to demonstrate clear evidence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander control, participation and support throughout the project.
While the board targets its funding support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities, it also encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to seek grants offered by the other boards of the Australia Council.
The board is very concerned that over a period of years there has been strong evidence of appropriation of traditional imagery and design. In the interest of protection of copyright and cultural ownership, the board strongly urges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to develop their own designs or only use designs in keeping with their specific cultural identity.
Adherence to the Australia Council's Indigenous protocol guides is a condition of funding from the board. There are five guides, each covering a different artform - song, new media, performing, visual and writing - which are available by calling the Council or from this website.
In defining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, the board uses a definition that combines three elements: descent, identification and acceptance. An Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander is defined as someone who is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, identifies as an Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander, and is accepted as such in the communities where he or she lives or comes from.
Each year the board offers the Red Ochre Award, which pays tribute to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist who has made an outstanding contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts.
The board does not fund film or television production.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board is committed to supporting and promoting a strong arts sector that effectively reflects and celebrates Australia's cultural diversity.